Launch Statement

A fundamental principle of law is: "Not only must justice be done; it must also be seen to be done." 

Lord Hewart said this in 1924, 88 years later the question is: Does this still hold true?

The Open Justice Project asks that question and aims to provide a snapshot of the state of British law in 2012.

 The project will be going live on the week beginning February 27, 'Open Justice Week' with the best writing submitted to be published on a dedicated website.

Our goal is to get writers, legal professionals and members of the public to collaborate using social media to share their experiences of a week in the life of the legal system. 

We aim is to publish accounts from all levels of justice, from the lowest courts to the highest, inviting lawyers, journalists, members of the public and offenders to write, blog and tweet about what really goes on in our courts.

The dedicated court reporter is becoming a thing of the past and the press, unaided, does not have the resources to be the eyes and the ears of the public at all times. At the same time new technology creates a channel that potentially allows an increased transparency and better access across the whole legal system to strengthen public oversight.

Guardian Law (guardian.co.uk/law), which has helped to pioneer tweeting from court and campaigns for greater openness in the justice system, will be dispatching writers to a range of courts as part of the project, and linking to some of the best writing on the blog.

To get involved you can email us at openjusticeuk@gmail.com  join us on Facebook or follow us on twitter on #oj_uk